Variable capacity tanks solve one specific problem: your tank volume rarely matches your actual lot size. Fill a 5,000 L tank to 3,200 L and you leave headspace that oxidizes; fill it to the brim and the cap has nowhere to rise. A floating lid moves with the wine level, so one vessel covers roughly 60% to 100% of nominal volume across a harvest.

We build these from 500 L to 20,000 L, with shell diameters from 700 mm to 2,400 mm. The standard shell is 304 stainless at 2.5–3 mm, depending on diameter and the working pressure you intend to run. For juice with elevated chloride, or for long-term storage where sulfur additions sit in contact with the steel, we switch to 316L. Interior welds are ground flush and pickled. If the tank will see red fermentation with punchdown, we polish contact surfaces to 0.4 µm Ra so skins and seeds release during cleaning instead of clinging to the wall.

The lid itself is a dished stainless float with an inflatable silicone gasket. You seat it, inflate to about 0.2 bar, and the seal holds against the shell. A water airlock vents CO2. We can also fit a spunding valve if you want a small amount of carbonation retention, but understand what you are buying: a floating-lid tank is not a pressure vessel, and we will not rate it as one.

Typical specifications

Wineries, cideries, and distilleries use these for primary fermentation, juice settling, and holding. A 2,000 L unit on casters suits a small urban producer who needs to move tanks between a chiller and a bottling line. A 15,000 L unit with a dimple cooling jacket suits a facility running temperature-controlled whites.

Questions we get before quoting

Can it hold pressure? No. The inflatable gasket seals against oxygen, not against internal pressure. If you need carbonation, we supply a rated pressure tank instead.

Do you add cooling? Yes, on the shell and optionally the cone or lid, with glycol in/out ports sized to your chiller flow.

How do I clean it? A CIP spray ball handles the shell. The lid comes out through the manway for manual inspection.

How large can a floating lid go? Practically to 20,000 L. Beyond that, handling the lid becomes a two-person job.

Send us your batch size, wine type, number of tanks, and available floor space. We will come back with tank volume, jacket area, and fitting layout that fits your cellar.